Necticut



(No Model.)

P. N. KNAPP 8; J. R. BRITTO.

HAT.

Patented Jan. 1, 1889.

N. PETERS. FhotwLilIwgm h-r. Walhinglnn. D. l:

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICEQ PHILIP N. KNAPP AND JOHN R. BRITTO, OF SOUTH NORIVAITK, CON- NECTICUT.

H AT

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 395,335, dated January 1, 18 89. Application filed October 15, 1888. Serial No. 288,093. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PHILIP N. KNAPP and JOHN R. BRITTO, citizens of the United States, residing at South N orwalk, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hats; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements in hats, and has for its object to do away with the pasting or gluing of the tip lining to the hat-crown; and with these ends in view our invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter fully described, and then specifically designated by the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a detail perspective of a hat-lining as it appears before application within a hat, one of our stays being attached thereto; vFig. 2, a broken sectional elevation of a hat having its tip lining secured in position in accordance with our im in'oveme'nt, and Fig. 3 a detail perspective of the stay.

Similar letters denote like parts in the several figures.

Prior to our invention it has been customary to secure the tip lining to the hat-crown by pasting, gluing, or by the use of adhesive material, as gutta-percha; but the drying of a tip thus secured frequently causes the hatcrown to be drawn inward and th erebycock led; also the manipulation of the crown in order to test the quality of the hat fretniently loosens a pasted or glued tip lining and causes the latter to drop, thus rendering the hat unsalable. Again, the use of paste or adhesive substance must be attended with great care, since the smouching of the hat must be avoided, and therefore great nicety must be exercised in handling the hats in connection with pasted tips. I

Our invention does away with the use of any adhesive substance and will be readily understood from the following description,

A is the tip lining, and B the side lining.

C is a thin flexible strip, of steel or other suitable material, having a hook, l, at the lower end and a perforation, 2, near the up per end. These strips we term stays, and there are four of them, the hooks of said stays being respectively attached to the several flaps of the tip lining. The upper ends of said stays are eyeleted to the hat-body D, as shown at 3, or they may be sewed thereto, if desired. In case there are no flaps extending from the tip the stays maybe hooked directly to said tip outside of the side lining; but it is immaterial how the stays are secured to the tip, since they might be eyeleted thereto or attached with gutta-percha or cement, it being necessary only that the lower ends of said stays should be securely attached to the tip. The stays are preferably curved, so as to conform readily to the hat, and they may be constructed of steel, whalebone, stiff paste or bristol board, and the like, it being essential only that said stays should. be light and not bulky, while at the same time they should have sul'ficieut strength and body to support the tip as against displacement.

No amount of rough usage or umnipulation of the hat-crown will cause the tip lining to drop or become displaced after it has been secured within a hat in accordance with our improvemen t, since the stays will always keep the tipliniug in normal position. \V e do not limit ourselves to any particular number of these stays in connection with a tip lining, since more or less of them may be used to support such lining without departing from the spirit of our invention.

The upper extremities of the stays may be serrated, as shown at 4.- in Fig. 3, in order to afford a grasp upon the hat body, whereby the stay will not become displaced during the operation of eyeleting or sewing.

In utilizing our improvement the stays are first hooked to the tip lining or the flaps thereof and the lining then inserted within. the hat. After the stays have been secured to the hat-body the side lining is adjusted and made fast in the usual manner.

Having thus described our invention, what In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in. presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP N. KNAPP. JOHN R. BRITTO.

we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the hat-body and lining, of a series of flexible stays having 5 their lower ends formed into hooks to which the lining is directly attached, the upper ends of said stays being secured to the hat-body, substantially as shown and described. 

